HIGH SCHOOL COURSE SYLLABUS
AP Psychology
Teacher: Mrs. David -Room 1324 (bdavid@kusd.edu) Best time to
contact teacher is 3-3:30 (end of the school day).
Number of Credits: 1 credit
Prerequisites
Junior or Senior Standing
Course Description
This is a college level course that introduces students to the systematic ans scientific study of
behavior and mental processes of humans and animals.
Relevance
Students will gain a greater understanding of psychological principles and the ability to apply
them in their lives. This course also promotes critical thinking which engourages careful
analysis of media claims, research results and other claims that are encountered in every day life.
Course Standards
(as determined by the School Board)
Understands history by examining change and continuity over time in order to develop historical
perspective, explain historical relationships, and analyze issues that affect the present and the
future.
Understands the concepts of behavioral sciences through psychology by studying factors that
influence individual identity and learning.
Most essential benchmarks may be viewed at: www.kusd.edu.
Lifelong Learning Standards
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Knowledgeable person
Complex thinker
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Effective communicator
Self-directed learner
Lifelong learning benchmarks may be viewed at: www.kusd.edu
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Quality producer
Contributing citizen
Course Outline
PROJECTS/MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS- Projects will take place twice during each semester and
major assignments will be ongoing. The Projects are equal to a Test grade whereas Major
Assignments are equal to a quiz grade. The purpose of these are to enhanse the topics of study
that we are learning in class and to challenge the student to present the knowledge in a different
way. Activities are just one more tool to enrich the understanding of what we are learning in
class- this could range from a short personality test, watching a short clip or demonstration, or
participating in a longer activitiy that takes most of the class period but relates directly to the
unit.
PROJECTS / ACTIVITIES / ASSIGNMENTSDREAM PROJECT- During the Consciousness unit, students will keep a dream journal and
collect dreams for 10 days (of their own or another participant). Students will have guided
questions to complete, with each entry, that looks at dream behavior/content (lucid dreaming,
dreaming in color/black/white, emotions related to dreaming, etc.). We will discuss as class, how
it enriched his/her understanding of dream theory (before projects are turned in).
SLEEP BEHAVIOR ASSIGNMENT-During the consciouness unit, students will complete a
sleep log for 5-7 days. They must record bedtime and wake up time. Emotions and general
awakeness should be recoreded a few times a day. The purpose is for students to see connections
between their internal clock (circadian ryhthm) and their sleep behaviors. Students will have
some guided questions to answer each day about their sleep. Will discuss as a class, before
turning this in, what they learned about their own sleep habits as a result of this assignment and
how it relates to the theories students have discussed in this unit.
BLINDFOLD EXPERIMENT- During the Sensation and Perception Unit, to connect with the
terms and concepts in a bold and hands on way. Please inform your teacher of ANY food
allergies. Written response following the experiment- Must connect and write about a minimum
of 4 Sensation and Perception Terms from Chapter 6 and how the experiment influence them.
STUDENT LED PRESENTATIONS (PROJECT)- CHAPTER-TBA- Each student will be
assigned a group, a chapter and a section within that chapter to present with their group- for a
test grade.
REVIEW PROJECT- Using Mnumonic Devices from Chapter 8 (Memory), create a presentation
board that has a small section devoted to each chapter (seventeen- 17 total). Be creative with
your tools to remember- present all chapters to the class prior to the test in May to assist peers
with their review.
BEAN ACTIVITY (ADAPTATION IN ACTION)- Takes place during chapter 4
"Nature/Nurture" unit. Takes one 45min class period to conduct and is completed in groups.
Will you make the needed adaptations? or…. Are you too set in your ways to change? Students
will have questions to complete at the end of this activity.
NOTE-- EACH UNIT ALSO HAS INDIVIDUALIZED ACTIVITIES THAT ARE SPEFICIC
TO THAT UNIT -- INCLUDED BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF THIS…..
SEE UNIT ON ------ "INTELLIGENCE AND INDIVIDUAL TESTING"
History and Approaches
Historical schools of thought: Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt
Modern approaches: Psychodynamic, Neuroscience, Behavioral, Cognitive, Humanistic,
Evolutionary
Psychology's founding forefathers and the contributions they have made
Modern careers in the field
Methodology
Research methods: naturalistic observation, survey, longitudinal and crossectional studies,
correlation, experiments
Statistics: central tendency, variance, significance,
Ethics: standards and studies
Neuroscience
Neuron: chemical and electrical transmission of messages
Nervous systems: central and peripheral, autonomic, somatic
Brain anatomy and function
Diagnositic tools: EEG, PET, MRI, CT
Abnormal Psychology and Treatment
Approaches: historical, biopsychosocial, medical, models
Classification: DSM-IV-TR
Disorders: anxiety, dissociative, somotoform, mood, schizophrenia, personality, autism
Psychotherapy: psychoanalysis, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, group,
psychopharmacalogical, psychosurgery
Cognition
Encoding: effortful, automatic processing, mnemonic devices
Storage: Short-term, long-term, synaptic changes, implicit, explicit memories
Retrieval: priming,
Forgetting and memory construction
Heuristics and algorithm
Language: Chomsky, Vygotsky, Skinner, Whorf
Intelligence and Individual Testiing
Testing: methodology, norms, reliability, validity
Intelligence: definitions, history, normal curve
INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES-What is intelligence? (Handout 10.2)-Designing and Administering an Intelligence Test (To Assess Intelligence?)
-Discussion of Savant Syndrome.
-Watch the film Rainmain (or clip-depends on time) discuss.
-Take Multiple Intelligence Test (Howard Gardner) -Discuss Intelligence/Gardner's theory.
-Discuss Walter-Mischell 1960's Marshmello Study- Emotional Intelligence.
-Creativity Activity (p14-15) pp410-12.
Learning
History of Behaviorism: Watson
Classical conditioning: Pavlov, applications, update
Operant Conditioning: Skinner, Thorndike, application, behavior modification, update
Observational Learing: Bandura
Developmental Psychology
Nature v. Nurture
Womb to the Tomb: conception, infancy, adolescence, adulthood
Theories: cognitive-Piaget, psychosexual stages-Freud, moral development-Kohlberg, social
development-Erikson
Personality
Psychoanalytic perspective: Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney
Humainstic: Maslow, Rogers
Trait perspective: Allport, Big 5, Eysenek, Greeks, Sheldon, MMPI-2
Social cognitive perspective: Bandura, Seligman
Sensation and Perception
Psychophysics: thresholds, signal detection theory
Sensory organs and transduction: vision, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, proprioceptive
Perception: attention, processing, gestalt
Motivation and Emotion
Motivational concepts: instincts, drives, maslow hierarchy
Hunger and eating disorders
Achievement motivation
Industrial organization psychology
Emotion: fear, anger, happiness, disgust, sad, surprise
Theories of emotion: James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schacter-Singer
Stress and Health
General adaptation syndrome: Seyle
Physiological impact
Promotion of health
Social Psychology
Group Dynamics: social facilitation, social loafing, deindividuation, bystander intervention,
altruism,social exchange theory
Attributional Processes: fundamental attribution error
Interpersonal Perception: social construction of self, schemas, self-fulfilling prophecies,
attraction
Conformity, Compliance, Obedience: Asch, Milgram
Attitudes and Attitude Change: cognitive dissonance theory, foot-in-the-door phenomenon,
prejudice, stereotypes, attitude formation and change
Organizational Behavior: Group polarization, group think, extrinsic - intrinsic motivatiion,
theory x - theory y management, task - social leadership
Agression/Antisocial Behavior - genetic, biological, learning and cultural mechanisms,
frustration and aggression
Altered States of Consciousness
States of Consciousness: information processing, day dreaming, circdian rhythm
Sleep: stages, dreaming, sleep disorders, why we sleep, Coren
Meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis, Mesmer, Hilgard
Drugs: stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, combination drugs, dependency and addiction
Board-Approved Instructional Materials
Myers, David. Psychology, Worth Publishers, 2010, Ninth Edition.
Myers, David. Psychology Study Guide, Worth Publishers, 2010, Ninth Edition.
Myers, David. Psychology Test Bank, Worth Publishers, 2010, Ninth Edition
Myers, David. Psychology Resource Materials, Worth Publishers, 2010, Ninth Edition.
Methods of Assessment
Final exams should be cumulative in nature, emphasizing the most essential benchmarks for the
course. Results of the final exam represent 20 percent of the final grade, but this single measure
may not drop a student’s grade by more than one letter grade. In courses that rely heavily on a
major project, performance exhibition, etc., the project should be divided into stages or components and each of those should be graded separately, providing students with frequent and
specific feedback.
Board-Approved Grading Scale
Excerpts taken from School Board Rule 6452
GRADING SCALE
A+=98-100 percent
A=93-97 percent
A-=90-92 percent
B+=86-89 percent
B=83-85 percent
B-=80-82 percent
C+=76-79 percent
C=73-75 percent
C-=70-72 percent
D+=66-69 percent
D=63-65 percent
D-=60-62 percent
F=0-59 percent
MAKE-UP WORK
Students submitting work up to ten school days late without prior approval may receive up to two grades lower on
the work than they would have received if the work had been submitted on time (i.e., B+ lowered to a D+). Student
work submitted after ten school days without prior approval shall not be accepted for credit and shall be recorded
with a score of zero.
Upon returning to school after an absence, a student has the responsibility within the number of days equal to the
length of the absence or suspension to meet with the teacher to develop a plan for making up missed work, quizzes,
and examinations. A truant student has the responsibility on the first day he or she returns to the course/class to
meet with the teacher to develop a plan for making up missed work, quizzes, and examinations. Lower grades may
not be given for late work due to excused absences, suspension, or truancy unless the work is submitted later than
agreed upon deadlines.
See Rule 6452 in its entirety at: www.kusd.edu.